Stray, or street animals, unlike the pet dog or cat can enjoy the freedom to make their own decisions about where they eat, where they sleep, who they play with, and where they go. But life on the streets can be very hard. In some countries, stray dogs are a real issue. Sarajevo in Bosnia, for example, a city with a human population of around 370,000, has between 11 and 13,000 dogs living on its streets. But where do they all come from? Well, originally from the pet dog or cats. They have either been thrown out and abandoned by their owners, or are owned but allowed to roam the streets freely. These unneutered dogs and cats then breed, and the result is more unwanted, unneutered dogs and cats on the street. There are an estimated 500 million dogs in the world today, and approximately 75% of them are strays. Stray dogs and cats can be found in almost every country in the world. Some countries are very efficient in dealing with their stray dog and cat population, and have animal wardens to collect these animals from the streets. Or they might have TNR, Trap Neuter Release programs, in place to try and keep the numbers down. Other places have no such measures for these domesticated animals. The process of domestication involves humans selecting for or against certain desired or preferred traits when breeding. The outcome of this process can be the evolution of a species that fits the human ideal more closely. But a potential side effect is that the species may become less well adapted to an environment without human care. Now the stray domesticated dog is not a hunter like the wolf. And they often have to rely very heavily on humans to either feed them or to scavenge on the foods that we throw out. These limited resources can lead to them sustaining injuries during fights. Tumors, skin infections, broken bones and open sores are common for stray dogs. According to WSPA, World Society for the Protection of Animals, over three-quarters of puppies in developing countries die from diseases such as Rabies and distemper. Almost no veterinary treatment is available for these dogs, and they are left to suffer or cope on their own. Stray dogs tend to be found living in human populated areas, making the most of the resources we inadvertently provide, food and shelter. They are often not well tolerated by humans, and can be seen as a nuisance, threat to their safety, or health hazard by some. This can lead to the culling of street dogs by shooting, beating and poisoning as human tolerance diminishes. A paper published in 2010 by Veterinary Preventive Medicine Magazine looked at questionnaires filled in by 172 OIE, World Organization for Animal Health member countries. They reported that dog control population methods tended to be more widely used in more developed countries. In the less developed countries, the dog control population methods if they existed at all, tended to use killing as a form of control. According to ICAC, the International Companion Animal Coalition, the welfare of street cats may be compromised due to a variety of causes. Including high levels of disease through unvaccinated, unneutered cats living in close proximity to one another, passing on disease through nasal discharge, mating, and fighting, inadequate food supplies. Cats are obligate carnivores, and have specific nutrient requirements. They cannot survive on a vegetarian or protein deficient diet, lack of shelter or extremes of environmental temperatures. High mortality rates, especially in kittens who are most vulnerable, as they have an underdeveloped immune system. Road traffic accidents are a common cause of injury and death for the street cat, with little or no veterinary treatment available. And malicious attacks by humans, including poisoning, where cats are seen as a public nuisance, due to fighting, defecating, or scavenging for food. And where there is a real fear of Rabies transmission. Despite all the challenges and uncertainties that these dogs and cats face, they do have their freedom. So are they better or worse off than the safe and well-fed pet dog and cat in our home?
